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Michael Buble, Feist win top Juno awards

Michael Buble's Christmas album was named the best music recording of 2011, while Leslie Feist was crowned Canada's artist of the year at Sunday night's Juno Awards.

"I'm just in shock," Feist said as she accepted the trophy in a bright red lace dress. "I can't believe I'm standing here tonight."

"I'm straight-up grateful," she added. "Thank you."

Buble could not attend the awards, but thanked his fans in a video message played to the packed Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

Feist had picked up two other trophies before the broadcast show, for adult alternative album of the year and music DVD.

Blue Rodeo was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of fame later in the show, after a performance of their hit "Lost Together" with Sarah McLachlan.

Justin Bieber, won the Juno Fan Choice award shortly after the show kicked off with a fiery Nickelback performance and a musical introduction by host William Shatner.

"As we all know, I have the best fans in the world … this is for you," Bieber, who couldn't make it to Ottawa for the awards, said in a pre-recorded video message.

Dan Mangan, a folk-rock singer and songwriter, was named best new artist of the year. He also won a Juno for alternative album of the year at a pre-award show gala on Saturday.

"I feel like there's a certain amount of chatter around the best new artist award every year going to ... artists on their second or maybe third albums," said Mangan, whose "Oh Fortune" was his third album.

"I would like to look at like this ... it takes time to do anything that's worthwhile."

Dallas Green picked up the first Juno of the night, winning the best songwriter category.

Green releases music under the name City and Colour, but is best known for his work with Alexisonfire.

"Canada has some of the best songwriters in the world," he said after accepting his Juno from rapper Kardinal Offishall.

Dragonette won the dance record award for their collaboration with Martin Solveig on the ubiquitous song "Hello."

On the red carpet, Juno host William Shatner said he wouldn't sing – or speak – at the awards, but he couldn't resist the guitar.

Shatner opened Canadian music's biggest night with quick renditions of "Taking Care of Business," "Born to Be Wild," and "Raise a Little Hell" while pretending to play the electric guitar. Three backup singers accompanied him.

Shatner also squeezed in a joke about Nickelback's performance, which ended with fireworks on stage.

"Sure there were flames, but if the drummer survives, what's the point?" Shatner joked.

When CTV Ottawa's Graham Richardson asked Shatner earlier what viewers should expect from him as the show's host, Shatner joked that viewers should "expect nothing."

"I'm going to stand there mute," he deadpanned.

Shatner kept the two-hour show rolling with a series of sketches with banks like Nickelback and Hedley.

With Nickelback, the 81-year-old appeared in their dressing room, trying to worm his way into the band as its fifth member.

"We change the name of the band to Shatner and Nickelback," he said. "Or Shatner and the Dimebags. After all, I'm upping your value."

While fans lined the red carpet hoping to see big-name artists such as Feist and K'Naan, some of the award show's most coveted prizes had already been handed out.

The majority of the hardware -- 34 of 41 trophies, to be exact -- were doled out to winners at a dinner gala on Saturday night.

The Sheepdogs, who won a spot on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine last August, were among the pre-show victors. The soulful Saskatoon rock set picked up Junos for rock album of the year and new group of the year.

The shaggy-haired Saskatonians didn't appear at the awards show though. The group is on tour in Perth, Australia.

"Just heard we won Rock Album Of The Year at the #JUNOAwards. Very excited. Is 8am in Perth too early to start celebratory drinking?" The Sheepdogs wrote in a message posted to their Twitter feed.

Other big pre-show wins include:

Hedley, fronted by Jacob Hoggard of Canadian Idol fame, broke through their Juno dry spell and won pop album of the year.

The highly coveted "group of the year" prize went to The Arkells. The young rockers from Hamilton, Ont. beat out the likes of Nickelback and Sam Roberts Band to win the award.